Summer update

How in the world has it been two months since the school year ended?  I swear I blinked and we were back to school shopping again.  Not that I'm complaining, that is one of my FAVORITE things to do.  It has been a very busy and productive summer around here.

nothing better than watching the corn grow while you swing

First, we (Michael) built a castle swing set for the girls.  He designed and built it all on his own (except that river that Annalyn drew into the plans... execution of that one is still pending.)  Soon we will be able to paint it and add the drawbridge I drew into the plans and it will be complete (at least until we add another tower... or a river).

Next on the agenda was a little family vacation up to Michigan.  We enjoyed visiting the beaches, hiking the dunes, picking up some of our favorite fruit wines, and finding an awesome Danish bakery.

 

The best part of summer for us is the extra family time since every day I'm off, so is Michael.  We definitely miss that during the school year, but also love the one-on-one time we get with the girls when the other parent is working.  In an effort to mix in a little of both, we started splitting the girls up for special Mommy/Daddy dates.  My favorite date was taking each of them to The Bee Hive an enjoying a honey bean latte.  The ladies there even humored my request for a small decaf latte with a little cold milk for the girls (aka "big girl coffee"), and it was a huge hit.  Michael's dates usually consisted of eating ice cream at the Dairy Bar while sitting on the tailgate of "Daddy's big red truck."

 

In July, we (mostly Michael) finally built a shed for all our yard equipment.  Another pending paint job.  More importantly, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a long weekend trip to West Baden Resort, sans kiddos!  It was the first time we've left them for that long, but we had a very relaxing trip.  Half the time it felt like we planned our days around doing "things that we couldn't/were much harder to do with the girls."  Things like running trails through the woods on horses, taking as long as we wanted to eat dinner, sleeping in, watching anything but cartoons on TV, and not planning our entire day around meals/naps/cranky times/bedtime.  Glorious.

The day after we got home, our amazing friend/relative/photographer, Elizabeth, drove 5 hours roundtrip to take our anniversary pictures.  I'll post more about that once I get the pics back, but I will tell you they involved recreating some of our wedding pictures (and some new ones), in our wedding attire, and even incorporated our adorable girlies in dresses very similar to our flower girls' dresses.  It was so much fun and really reminded us of exactly how we felt on that day 10 years before.

<sneak peek!>

Aside from extra immediate family time, we've also enjoyed some extra time with our extended families and friends.  My grandma and aunt came out to visit and see our house, which meant so much to me.  I even snuck in a coffee with them at The Bee Hive (again, I'm a little obsessed.)  Our sister-in-law and nephews from Virginia have visited a couple times, and we've been able to make several zoo trips with family.  And we mustn't forget the play dates with friends, old and new! Or the amazing little splash park we discovered nearby.  Ok, I'm starting to see why this summer went SO quickly!!!

In a little over a decade, this could be a reality!

These four lovely ladies will all be in high school together  

We even celebrated Oria's 1st birthday

And that's our summer of 2016 in a nutshell.  Lots of family time, building, exploring, playing, visiting, and ENJOYING.  I even chopped off most of my hair after a week in the insane heat/humidity. Not too shabby!  I'd say we're officially ready for back-to-school, football season, legit soccer mom status, chili, and bushels of apples (not our own this year, though we may get a few!). So long summer break! It's been fun :)

Family Pizza Night

We've accidentally developed a little pizza night tradition in our family.  Somehow, Sunday nights became synonymous with pizza just as much as Sunday mornings are with pancakes.  We are creatures of habit and when it comes to two of our favorite foods, why not?!  After realizing that we were spending quite a bit each month on weekly pizza nights, we decided to start making our own, with the occasional ordering out.  We've experimented with a couple different crust recipes, and made some fun discoveries, including the best breadsticks ever.  These aren't so much my own originals, but more of my collection of pizza night favorites in case my girls ever find their sentimental sides and want to duplicate it someday (hey, a mama can hope, right?).  Here's how our family does Sunday pizza night:






Crust:

Martha Stewart's Quick Basic Pizza Dough - this dough is not only easy, but also super versatile.  It makes a nice hand-tossed or thin crust and THE BEST BREADSTICKS!  I like to use 3 c. all-purpose and 1 c. whole wheat flour.


Ingredients:

• 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

   
Directions:

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.
3. To freeze, you can wrap the dough in plastic and freeze it in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.

"Happy Birthday to Emma"

Emma, Emma, Emma


I just couldn't resist sharing this adorable video of you singing to yourself (and Annalyn scolding you for it!).  LOVE IT!

Emelina's 2 year update

Oh my little Emelina.  My sweet, squishy, Emma.  My Emma-lemma.  My fellow type A, all the way.  Today we are saying goodbye to our youngest baby's babyhood.  <siiiiiiiigh> I am all at once sad, excited, nostalgic, and anxious for what is to come.  I love how much your personality is coming out.  Even your shyness is fading and we are seeing glimpses of confidence and a whole lotta independence these days.  You love to help cook, feed the cat, clean up (including throwing your milk cup at/in the sink), get groceries, help Daddy with yard work, and do makeup with Mama.

helping Daddy build the swingset

talked Mama into buying you flowers

you cuddled them the whole time :)

You adore your sister and everything about growing up and getting to be "one of the big girls."  You idolize Annalyn and her friends, while babies/toddlers your own age continue to frighten you (seriously, you often run away from Margo as she crawls towards you). 

sleepover with Remy & Anna

fun at the park with Annalyn's preschool friends

<please don't let them fight over boys someday...>

If I had to describe you in a word, it would be intense.  INTENSE love, intense sad, intense happy, intense mad.  Like your Mama, you wear your heart on your sleeve and while we don't always understand the why, we always know what you're feeling.  Your communication is amazing and you talk in conversations, sing entire songs, and tell us stories. The lisp is still there, but we can still always tell what you're saying.  "Sugar" and "syrup" are two of our favorites to hear you say, partly because you drag is out in a really cute way and partly because you get so excited about pancake day.

little goofball in Mama's dress

hamming it up in Daddy's "big red truck"

putting on a show with Sissy & stealing the spotlight

You've started to join in Anna's imaginative play and will fake dramatic sadness/fear/horror when Annalyn the dinosaur/cheetah "eats Cinderella and Elsa." It's both funny and maddening because you will often end up genuinely upset about your make believe princesses being pretend eaten.  Seriously.

You've been talking about your birthday since Annalyn's in February and have lots of big plans for it.  Mostly, you want a Charlie Brown birthday with a Charlie Brown cake.  As luck would have it, I inherited one from my BFF's grandma (it's from 1950, how cool is that?!)  There's also been mention of a party and cupcakes and Dobby (Grandma Cindy), and you even told Daddy at one point that "my birthday is cancelled!" So, not exactly sure what was going through that beautiful little mind, but I hope it holds up to the hype.

first time at the Indy Children's Museum

Stats:
weight: 28.8 lbs
height: 2 ft 10.75 in.
sizes: 2T, size 6 shoes
teeth: all but your 2 year molars (the last little canine is coming down now!)

Favorites:
shows - Peppa Pig, Charlie Brown, Wally Kazaam, Sofia the First, Daniel Tiger
movies - Charlie Brown, Cinderella, Inside Out, Frozen
songs - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Up Pops the Flower, Happy Birthday
books - Llama Llama, Peep & Ducky, Duck & Goose, Cinderella, You are my Cupcake, The Monster at the End of This Book
toys -  blankies, Cabbage Patch Doll "Wally" (the first doll you named), pink plush doll "Dolly," "baby raptor," play kitchen (especially the ice cream), chalk, swings

you sleep with a whole crew of critters
still in a crib because you haven't attempted to escape... yet.

clothes - princess nightgowns, fluffy skirts, Minnie Mouse dresses/nightgown, "new tennis shoes," yellow softball shirt, anything hand-me-down from Remy

foods - fruit, fruit, and more fruit, yogurt, olives, hummus, pretzels, pizza, pancakes, "volcano popcorn" from the air popper, cake, chocolate, fruit snacks, tomatoes with s/p, "grass cheese" aka Havarti with dill, parmesan, feta (all the hard and soft cheeses like Mama), puffs/Goldfish crackers, anything with mustard, "shaaawshage"  aka sausage (your request for bday dinner).

 my favorites about you:
- your smile - your entire face lights up when you smile.  Your eyes brighten and your cheeks get even chubbier. Your laugh is even more infectious with "just a hint" of orneriness.  I just can't get enough.
- your jokes - usually in the form of a repeated silly word, a misplaced inflection, or an "I just kidding" after a request.
- your determination - yes, it makes me crazy when we are in a hurry, but I love that you are so independent (in some ways) and determined to learn.
- that you suck on your tongue/your blankie tags - when you are feeling extra tired or cuddly, you still do this and it makes you look like my clingy baby again.
- your spins and happy dance - when you get really excited, which doesn't take much, you do a natural little happy dance and squeal. It's about the cutest thing ever.
- your hair - to be honest, it's always been one of your most striking features.  From the tons of dark hair you were born with, to you little rattail that I cut off right  before your first bday, to your long thick "golden like Anna" hair. I love that I can braid it now and that every day is a good eyelash day for you.
- your bravery - this frightens me most days, but I also admire your fearlessness (aside from your social fears).
- the way you say goodnight - you tell everyone goodnight and I wuv you every single night. I cherish getting to read, rock and snuggle you every night before bed and especially love when you turn and wrap your arms around my neck.  best. feeling. ever.
- your side-kick ways - I love that you idolize your sister and like to be like her.  I really love when you want to be like me, too, and wear your apron while we cook. You are obviously your own person, but you make us feel special by wanting to learn from us.
- that you love soft/hard cheeses like I do - feta, parmesan, romano, you name it.  This girl loves her cheese!

Snoopy pizza to kick off birthday week!

- you love Charlie Brown like Grandma and I do - you sleep with him, you always pick a Peanuts movie when it's your turn, and you've been dead set on a Charlie Brown cake for months.  That's my girl!

And that's a wrap on your second year!  It went by even faster than the first.  Probably because we slept some this year.  Or because you're suddenly in such a hurry to catch up to your sister. 

Just be happy, my Emelina.

Just be happy.

Happy birthday, Sweetheart.

Love,

Mama

(Re)Living the Dream

Ah, the joys of reliving the dream!  Getting to re-experience so many wonderful moments and milestones through your kids can be such a rewarding and sentimental experience.   Now I know what many of you are thinking - be careful trying to recreate your childhood and expecting your kids to love it.  I know, I know, it's a slippery slope, but hear me out.  My kids are very young, very impressionable, and now is the time that we should be instilling values in their tiny hearts and minds.  Why not give them the building blocks of some of the most rewarding and formative experiences of our childhoods? 

Michael and I loved being athletes.  It defined us for so many years and shaped many aspects of our personalities and friendships.  Recently, I wrote a letter to my high school softball coach as part of a book to congratulate him on his 600th win (No, that's not a typo.  Yes, he's a rock star).  Taking time to write it gave me a chance to reflect on why softball was and is so important to me.  And why I want so desperately to share it with my girls. 

Pierogi Lasagna

This little creation was thought up/seen somewhere by my dear husband and since it's way less time consuming than actual pierogis (which he's been excited to try making since he got me a pasta attachment for my mixer), I decided to humor him and give it a shot.   I mean, carb overload aside, what can go wrong by mixing noodles, mashed potatoes, and sautéed onions?  I say win/win.  So, the result of my Saturday experiment is this yummy comfort food classic, pierogi lasagna. It would also be a great use for leftover mashed potatoes (though probably on a smaller scale). Here's how Mama makes it:

Pierogi Lasagna

Total time: 90 min
servings:  8




Ingredients:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 6 T. butter
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 6 c. garlic mashed potatoes* (see my recipe below)


*garlic mashed potatoes:
- 3 lb. bag red potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered
- 4-5 whole garlic cloves
- 6 T. butter
- 3/4 to 1c. milk
- salt/pepper, to taste

The only thing better than drinking wine in your wedding dress with your BFF...

Yes, I'm still a huge Friends fan.  And yes, I still fantasize about whipping out my wedding dress on a random Friday night, sitting on the couch, and drinking wine with Shawna.  But, the odds of us 1. having a night alone to drink wine, and 2. fitting into our pre-baby 8-10 years ago dresses are, well.... let's just say we don't get much time alone.


But back to the only thing to do with your old wedding dress that's more fun than that....

Letting your little girls try it on!

Talk about excited kiddos!  I realized the other day that I'd never actually shown them my dress.  In fact, I hadn't opened it once since having it preserved in a box to be stored in my closet these past 10 years.  Since 20 year old Michael told me when we got married that we could renew our vows and do fun stuff like taking anniversary pictures in our wedding attire IF I could still fit into it (he said with a laugh and very little apparent faith), I couldn't help but break it out to test the theory.  You see, we have our first big milestone anniversary this summer and I'm plotting a pretty snazzy anniversary shoot, just to prove to 20 year old Michael it can be done. (side note - I'm shockingly close to getting it zipped!)


These two, on the other hand, had to be clipped and cinched in and still basically had to hold it up to stay on.  But they didn't care.  Give a girl a tiara and a giant sparkly dress and she is happy!  Annalyn kept saying that she felt like a princess and a "wedding girl" and didn't want to take it off.  She looked so pretty and grown up and I couldn't help but hope that she will want to wear my dress someday (not that I would blame her for wanting her own.  After all, I do have a backup daughter...)



Planning to have this one framed to give to her some day. 

Like when she's 35.

Emelina chose this special moment to try out all her funny faces.  She spanned just about every silly, happy expression she could muster.  She had a harder time holding it up and the clip I used wasn't holding as well for her since there was more fabric overlapping.  But she got to be "Cinderella" for awhile, too.  I just love how her personality is developing lately!

At some point, just fell over and was eaten by tulle.

Then came this precious, classic Emma face:

And this sweet baby:

I used some of the pictures to make a collage mug for Michael.  I intended to keep it for his birthday, but I was too excited to show him the pictures to not give it to him when it came.  All in all, it was a sweet little Friday afternoon experience and we all enjoyed a little walk down memory lane to the day when Mama got to dress like a princess and marry her prince.  Even if I have to share him with these little princesses.

To be continued...

in 30+ years...

when/if we let them out of their towers...

Dear Grandma, Goodbye

Friday 3/25/16

Dear Grandma,


I have been trying to figure out how to write a tribute to you, but I can't seem to get it right.  How can I describe in words what you mean to me and to all of us?  I am sure going to miss writing to you and receiving your beautifully written, perfectly conversational letters.  I keep re-reading them and every time it feels like you're right beside me telling me the stories.  You had such a gift with words.


You would've loved your funeral, Grandma.  Mom and Aunt Kathy did a great job planning it.  The flowers were bright, cheery, and smelled like Spring.  There were lots of pinks and purples and they really brought out the rose gold of the casket your kids unanimously picked.  The pastor did a wonderful job, too.  I can see why you liked her so much at South Haven.  She has a beautiful singing voice and I could just picture you singing along to the words of "Amazing Grace."  She wrote an acrostic using the word CHEER to tell your story, and it was very honest, sweet, and fitting.  I wish I could remember what all of the letters stood for.  I know the C had a few words: creative, clever, and caregiver.  The H was for honesty.  One of the E's was energetic.  But I can't seem to recall the rest.  It was so hard to hang on to her words when I was so desperately trying to hang on to you.  There were stories to go along with most of them and every single one painted a perfect picture of the woman we all knew and loved. 


After that, she opened it up for anyone that wanted to share a memory, and although I wanted to share a bit of my favorite letter from you, I just couldn't pull it together long enough to do it.  I shared it with some of the family later that weekend at Kathy's house and we all agreed - it felt like having you right there beside us.  I especially loved the story that your honorary sister/best friend, Deanne, shared about coming to see you and being scared when you and Randy took off running out the front door and down the road.  When she caught up to you in her car and asked what was wrong, you simply replied, "Oh, nothing, I's just racing Randy."  What I wouldn't give to see that!


That day was so cold outside compared to what it had been the week or two before, and when we went to the cemetery, it even snowed.  I like to think that you were up there chatting away with Mother Nature and she let you "press the buttons" to see how it all worked.  But maybe that's just the little piece of your creativity and imagination left in me.  My Annalyn sure has some of that in her. You wouldn't believe the stories and songs that little girls makes up.  I'll have to make a note to remind Mom to teach her your infamous purple plums song.


Before we came back home, we stopped by your house one last time, since I'm assuming it will be sold by the time we come back again.  It's hard to imagine someone else living in it after all these years.  Everyone laughed when I told them I took a rock from the backyard, but I knew you'd approve.  I have no way of knowing, but I'd like to think it's one of the rocks you carried on your lap on the back of the motorcycle on your way back from one of your travels.  Either way, it's pretty, it's pink, and it was yours.  That makes it a treasure in my book!  Plus it reminds me of all the walks we took around Colon collecting all the prettiest purdiest rocks along the gravel roads.  I bet there are some beautiful roads for you and Grandpa to walk along up in Heaven.  I know how happy he must be to have you with him again. 


We will always miss you guys, but we rejoice knowing that God is always right beside you, and us, and that you are together again.  Nobody wanted to see you hurting and unable to breathe.  What a relief it must have been for you to take your last painful, labored breath here on Earth, and have it followed by your first deep, cleansing breath in Heaven.  I love you so much, Grandma, and I hope I can live to be someone you'll be proud to watch over everyday.


Love you forever and ever,


Ashley

Always Right Beside You

Although I've never had the luxury of living down the road from my grandma, or even a couple hours down a highway like my kids do, I've built and maintained a pretty special relationship with my mother's mother.  She's the one who taught me that no baking session is complete without a host of brightly colored aprons and no recipe worth knowing is worth writing down.  Let's be honest, most of Grandma's recipes are a dash and a pinch and a splash and a taste... and completely impossible to reproduce exactly.  That's why we love them.

Beyond our shared love of cooking, Grandma also shared with me her love of writing, photographing, and sharing memories.  My grandpa built her a special bookcase just to hold all of her photo albums with pictures from their travels.  My guess is that she would've loved blogging!

Around the time I got married, I started a box to keep all of the handwritten letters my grandma's sent me.  I am so glad that I did (and wish I'd started sooner).  I love reading and rereading those letters, written in Grandma's perfect handwriting.  I especially appreciate all the little newspaper clippings, recipes, etc. that she sent to let me know she was thinking of me.  Of all the gifts, her words are what I value the most and will miss more than anything. 

With this in mind, I searched Etsy for the perfect way to honor that gift.  I'd seen several different types of jewelry made from loved ones' handwriting and started sifting through the letters I'd collected for the perfect word or phrase.  I had several good options, but unlike many people who make these to honor deceased loved ones, I realized that I could just ask her.  I didn't tell her what it was for, just asked her if she would write down the one word, phrase, or thought that she would have me carry with me always.  Being known for her windy story telling, I knew one word would never be enough, but the advice was heartfelt and perfect.

Once I had the message, I decided which words I wanted to use:  always right beside you.  I thought this perfectly captured the message of Grandma's words.  Always - not just when we need Him most, not sometimes, ALWAYS.  Right beside you - not watching over, or there for you, but RIGHT BESIDE YOU like a friend, a companion, a parent, a guide.  As always, Grandma's words were perfect.  For me, the bracelet has a double meaning - Grandma's original message, but also that she (and her words) are always right beside me.  It's her words, in her handwriting, right there on my wrist every time I look down and need to see them. 

The Etsy shop that I chose for the bracelet was Caitlin Minimalist.  I liked that she gave the ability to have more than one line of wording, it was slightly curved, and had an attractive chain (I really like the little feather charm on the clasp, too).  She was great to work with, shipped quickly, and the handwriting was a pretty perfect match.  I made two others for my mom and sister and all three came out almost identical.  So far, I've been wearing my bracelet almost daily for about a month and haven't had any issues.  I wear it more to work than at home since we've been doing some house projects and I was a little concerned about breaking it.

The past year has been a tough one for Grandma, as she's battled worsening pulmonary fibrosis. It has been incredibly hard to watch, knowing how uncomfortable she is. It's been especially hard not being able to go see her lately since my vacation is set way in advance and I don't always get the weeks I request. Our words and letters and pictures have been all we've had to stay connected. I am forever grateful that my Aunt Kathy drove her out to our new house last year right after we moved in. I got to show her our house, our town, and walk her around our property (taking lots of pictures, of course). That memory, along with so many others, is and will always be just where I need it - right beside me.